


County Jail Blues

by mobius-loop (igy)



Category: Preacher (TV)
Genre: A little bit of blood, M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension, mention of violence, self indulgent ridiculousness really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 02:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7024555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/igy/pseuds/mobius-loop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The small cell Jesse Custer found himself in didn't have a lot going for it. For one, it smelled.</i>
</p><p>From the pilot on AMC, Jesse and Cassidy's time in the jail cell, with a little bit of creative licence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	County Jail Blues

The small cell Jesse Custer found himself in didn't have a lot going for it. For one, it smelled. Beyond that, the single overhead light kept flickering ominously. It wouldn't be so bad, Jesse supposed, sitting there in the dark. It would give him some time to think, to try to calm the blood that was still beating hot and furious in his veins. If he was alone, he could take some deep breaths, clear his head, hell— maybe even try to do some prayerful meditation.

But he wasn't alone.

The man sitting next to Jesse was a stranger to Annville. Faded tattoos snaked their way down his forearms, his clothes rumpled and dirty. A drifter maybe. Jesse sighed, tilting his head back to rest against the cool wall.

"No offense, mind ya, but I'd piss on a stack of Bibles for a fag right now." The stranger kicked one foot up, propping his boot against the bench next to Jesse's leg. Blinking, the preacher tried to parse the thick accent.

"... What?"

"A death stick, a coffin nail. A cigarette, boyo. I'm sure you could use one too, after a brawl like that." The man mimed smoking for a moment, two fingers raised to his lips. There was something about his gaze that made Jesse feel transparent, like his already turbulent emotions were written out in neon letters.

"Oh." Jesse licked his lips and managed a brief smile in return. "Yeah, that'd be nice. I keep tryin' to give it up, y'know, but... smoking's not the worst thing I seem to be getting into lately. Drinking, fighting, swearing... I can't even afford to fix the damn A/C at the church. Some preacher." He huffed, folding his hands and looking down at the dirty floor. It was dusty, filthy... just like the bar floor earlier that night, just like everywhere seemed to get, eventually. Covered in sin.

The stranger laughed darkly, pulling Jesse out of his maudlin thoughts. "That sounds like the first line of the worst country song I've ever heard, man. Course, I'm in the fine state of Texas, I guess that's part and parcel for this corner o' the world."

To his credit, Jesse tried to look offended, but gave up in favor of a resigned laugh. "Finally figured it out, huh? Sorry... what was your name? I, uh, I didn't thank you properly for your help earlier." He held out his hand. "I'm Jesse."

"It's a pleasure, Padre. I'm Cassidy." The smile Cassidy flashed had far too many teeth in it to be nice, but it made Jesse feel strangely at ease anyway.

The two men shook hands and Jesse could feel the bruises starting to form on his knuckles. The fight had been... _good._ In spite of himself, Jesse couldn't deny the rush he got from breaking a man's nose with his fist, from the snap of bone in that asshole's arm. It had felt righteous. Something in the back of Jesse's mind still whispered of the fight, wanted more of that feeling. Jesse tried hard not to feel like it had been over too soon.

"So tell me about yourself, Jesse, what's a guy like you doin' sticking around a small town like this?" Cassidy slid onto the bench beside him, stretching out his legs lazily.

"Well... years ago, I made a promise. I've broken it a thousand times, over and over, but..." Jesse glanced away. It must be the adrenaline, making him talk about it.

"Ah, _promises._ They're nasty little things. I try to steer clear of 'em, makes things nice and easy for me." Turning to examine the preacher more closely, Cassidy clicked his tongue. "Get wrapped up in too many of those, who knows what you end up doing."

Jesse looked back sharply, opening his mouth to argue but stopping short when he caught Cassidy's eyes fixed on his mouth.

"Aye, Padre, you've still got a bit on you..." Cassidy leaned in, a grin flickering over his face as he reached up to brush his thumb over Jesse's chin. Jesse could feel the tackiness as it was wiped away, saw the hint of red on Cassidy's thumb. It was when Cassidy popped his thumb into his own mouth, still grinning, that Jesse's stomach flipped over unpleasantly. The heat that rushed through him was definitely leftover from the fight, just the residual adrenaline doing weird things to his head. It certainly had nothing to do with the casual way Cassidy ran his tongue over the end of his thumb.

"... Thanks." Jesse tried to breathe normally. He really would kill for a cigarette right now, or even better, a bottle of whiskey... something to keep his hands busy. The buzz of alcohol from earlier had been helpful during the bar fight, kept him relaxed, but now it was doing nothing to help the pulse pounding in his head. The part of Jesse that cried out to keep fighting, to keep swinging until it was satisfied, started calling out for anything to fulfill the instinct. Jesse thought briefly of Tulip, pushing the memory away immediately. She always knew how to wind him down after a fight, how to calm his nerves and keep his attention on her. For whatever reason, Cassidy felt like the opposite, like his very presence was fanning the flames.

Jesse pressed his hand over his face, rubbing at his eyes to try to clear his head. When he opened them again, the other man's face swam into focus much closer than it had been.

"Are y'alright?" Cassidy's keen stare made Jesse feel like the other man was looking straight through him. "Your lip is split, y'know. One of those bastards must've been wearing a ring. Gonna need some ice on that, later..."

Cassidy reached up, hesitating for only a heartbeat before gently tracing the curve of Jesse's bottom lip, cold fingers rasping over stubble. The sudden, sharp flare of pain when he hit the split skin jarred Jesse out of his shock.

"The hell are you _doin'_?" Pulling away, Jesse tried to ignore the part of his mind that told him to press harder into Cassidy's touch, to multiply the pain until it screamed over the rest of his thoughts. "I—damn, that hurts—" 

There was something about the look on Cassidy's face in that moment that made Jesse's skin crawl, but he did his best to ignore it. 

"Ah, sorry. You gave much better 'n you got, that's for goddamn sure." Chuckling, Cassidy leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head.

"... Don't take the Lord's name in vain."

The grin on Cassidy's face didn't wane in the slightest.

"Sure. Whatever you say, Jesse." 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Lord, have mercy on this sinner. There wasn't any fic for this yet, and I wanted it **so** bad I had to write it myself. u_u;; I've watched the show 2.5 times and I briefly read the wiki page for the comic so, I tried?? Please tell me gently if I butchered things. (Feel free to come find me on tumblr and beat me up for lunch money.) I can't wait for next week's episode! Thank you for reading.


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